Hiya everyone. Here I am with the next chapter. I was planning on posting this earlier but time just got away from me. But here it is. I'll try to post the next chapter as soon as possible.
Thanks, Kazumi.
Tale of The Crimson Kitsune And The Silver Ookami
Chapter Four: Arrive At the Hidden Sand. Mission, Tracking Down The Akatsuki
Inside the forest, Kazumi's Point of View:
Temari and Sakura were sitting on the ground, leaning against the trees as they rested with Kakashi sitting there with them. Meanwhile, Naruto and I were standing on a tree branch high above them. We were just staring out towards the horizon as the sun slowly began to rise behind us. The only thing we could think about at the moment was hurrying to the Hidden Sand and saving our friend, Gaara.
"Why…? Why does it have to be Gaara?" Naruto thought to me. "It's always him. So now it's up to us to save him."
"Yeah. You're right, Naruto." I thought back to him. "But we'll make sure that Gaara will never be alone. He has us and he'll always will. Not just as comrades but as friends as well."
"Right. We can't let him down." He tells me. I just continued to look forward, remembering what I had told Gaara after our fight with Kimimaro.
Flashback….
"Kazumi Hatake." Gaara suddenly said.
"Hmm?" I answered as I looked at him.
"I, I want to apologize for what I did. Back during the Chūnin Exams." Gaara explained. "I…"
"There's no need for that." I quickly said. "After all, it was Shukaku's fault, not yours. Besides, you, me and Naruto…. We're not so different."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Gaara asks.
"I'm sure that Naruto already explained to you that he's the container for the Kyuubi, right?" I asked. "And we both know that you're the container for the Ichibi."
"Yes, what about it?" he asks.
"Well, only a few people know about this. But I feel that I can trust you as well, so I'm going to tell you." I started as I saw a curious look on Gaara's face. "Naruto already knows, but in truth, I'm a container as well."
"You….you are?" he asks.
"Yes. I'm the container of the Juubi." I told him. "I have the Ten-Tailed Wolf inside me. But even if I wasn't treated as bad as you and Naruto were, I still lived in fear. I always wondered what would happen if people knew that I held the most powerful beast of them all. But since I knew Naruto had a beast inside him, I easily became friends with him. And I hope that I can be friends with you as well."
"Really?" he asks.
"Yes. After all….we are siblings in a sense. Siblings of Tailed Beasts that is." I told him.
"Hmm. Naruto Uzumaki and Kazumi Hatake. They are containers of the beasts just like I am. They know how it is. Sort of." Gaara thought. "Kazumi Hatake…."
"Yes." I answered.
"We…..we can be friends, siblings." He says.
"Heh, good to hear, Gaara." I said. "That's great to hear."
End of flashback…
Normal Point of View:
"Gaara." Kazumi thought.
"All right. Break time is over." Kakashi announced as he got back to his feet. In no time at all, Temari and Sakura snapped themselves awake.
"Hmm? Hey. Kakashi sensei, where's Naruto and Kazumi?" Sakura asked as she looked around for her two teammates.
"They're right up there." Kakashi says as he points at the tree branch high above them.
Kazumi's Pont of View:
"Just one more day until we reach the Sand Village. But we have to hurry. There's no telling how much time we have left." Naruto thought to me.
"Then we need to move as fast as we possibly can. We don't need to waste any more time." I replied sternly.
…Few hours later, Desert outskirts:
"All right, we finally reached the desert." Naruto said.
"The Village Hidden in the Sand is just up ahead." Temari assured us. "It's best if I take the lead from here on out."
"Lead on." Kakashi told her. While I stood there, a very uneasy feeling suddenly appeared, catching my attention.
"Kiyiya. Do you sense something strange?" I thought.
"Yeah, unfortunately I do." She replied. "I fear that it might be Shukaku. I have a feeling that something bad is happening."
"All right, let's go!" I heard Naruto yell.
That quickly snapped me out of my thoughts and I started following him. We moved on, following Temari. But we soon had to stop and take shelter in a nearby cave when a sandstorm suddenly blew in. Naruto sat at the cave entrance with Kakashi sitting close behind him. Temari and Sakura were sitting together as they leaned against the wall. I sat next to Sakura and was sitting Indian Style as I meditated.
"Kiyiya. That feeling I sensed earlier. Could it be the work of the Akatsuki?" I asked her mentally. "Are they… I mean… could they have already…?"
"I'm not sure, pup. But I do know that since they have the One-Tailed Beast, they will eventually extract the beast from its host." Kiyiya explained. "But even though we know this, we don't know when it will be completed or how it will be done."
"This is becoming very frustrating." I thought as I released a held breath. "I know Naruto and Temari are both worried, as are the rest of us. But it's not helping me since I'm the one who is actually sensing things."
"Well… you're doing a very good job staying calm under the pressure." She said.
"I have no choice. If I told Naruto, it would just make him even more impatient." I thought. "And right now, we need to try to keep him as cool and collected as we possibly can."
"Yes, I see. You're absolutely right." she agreed. "Because knowing Naruto, he would rush in first without thinking things through."
"Right." I agreed. "And if Naruto just knew how to control himself more, he'll be fine. I mean, I've gotten better with my own habit with losing my cool. Plus, I can just about remain calm in almost every situation I'm faced with. But however, I'm still working on that."
"We've got this close to our target and we're just sitting here." Naruto growled. "I can't stand this waiting." He growled once more and was about to move but Kakashi stopped him.
"Naruto, for the last time, relax." He told him. "There's nothing we can do."
"I know, but…" Naruto started.
"Just be patient. Would you look at Temari, she's the one worried the most." Sakura told him.
"The cardinal rule of traveling in the desert. If you hit a sandstorm, you stay put." Temari explains to Naruto. "You lose all your sense of direction in a storm like that. I've heard of many people getting lost in the desert and dying of thirst. Don't worry. The sandstorms we get this time of year don't really last long."
"Well… I just hope you're right." Naruto said.
I just sighed quietly, "See what I mean." I told Kiyiya.
"Yeah, I see." She replies.
"Look. I want to try something." I told her. "Let's see if we can try to contact Gaara. It may not be as strong as my connection with Naruto, but it's worth a shot."
"Okay. Let's try." Kiyiya tells me.
"All right then." I said.
Inner psyche, Kazumi's Point of View:
"Gaara…? Gaara, can you hear me?" I asked as I tried to create the link. "Come on, Gaara. Please answer me. Lord Kazekage, can you hear me?"
"What..? Kazumi Hatake?" I heard Gaara say. I turn around and find him standing there. "What are you…?"
"It's because of our Tailed Beasts." I said, answering his unfinished question. "As long as I know the host of the Tailed Beast, I can create a mental link. I'm just glad that it worked."
"Hmm. I see." He says.
"Gaara, we heard what happened." I told him. "We heard about the Akatsuki attacking you and the Hidden Sand."
"Yes. The one who attacked was wearing the black cloak with red clouds, the clothing of the Akatsuki. He has long blonde hair, with a long piece covering his left eye, which hides a small camera." Gaara explained. "I was able to fend him off as long as I could but he was able to defeat me. I have no idea where I am now."
"Don't worry, Gaara. We're going to find you. That's a promise." I assured him. "And we will make sure that those damn Akatsuki members pay for what they've done."
"I know without a doubt that you will." he says.
"Gaara, is there anything else you can tell me that would aid us?" I asked. "Like his fighting style, his abilities, weaknesses… anything like that at all?"
"He's a long range fighter. He uses this explosive clay to fight." Gaara explained. "Be aware of that. His explosive clay is nothing to wave off."
"Right, we'll approach him with caution." I assured him.
"Oh great, just what we need, company. Why the hell is that Gaki (A/N Gaki means brat) doing in here anyway?" cried out an annoying voice. "No, scratched that. How the hell is that Gaki here anyway?"
I just sighed in response, "Nice to see you again too, Shukaku." I told the One Tail. "Still an impudent beast I see. You haven't changed a bit since the first time we met."
"Why you stupid little…! Get the hell out of here!" he snapped with a growl.
"Don't talk to my partner that way, Shukaku." Kiyiya snapped. "I see that you still believe you're above everyone else. You're worst then Kurama."
"Kiyiya…!? Why you…" he started. "You and your damn Gaki get the hell out of here! Get lost!"
"She didn't come here to talk to you anyway." Kiyiya snapped back. "So just shut up and let them talk."
"Don't worry, Gaara. We're moving as fast as we can." I told him. "We'll rescue you, even if it costs us our own lives."
"I will warn you once more, Kazumi Hatake." Gaara says. "This Akatsuki member, he shouldn't be taken lightly. Understand? Do not let your guard down."
"I understand completely, Lord Kazekage. We won't fail you." I added in a confident tone.
Back within her own subconscious:
"Well, he's okay, from what I can tell." I say to Kiyiya as I reopen my eyes. "I just hope we get to him in time."
"If you are to save him, you'll have to hurry." Kiyiya tells me. "If they succeed in extracting Shukaku from him, it will kill him."
"It was never an option to begin with. It's our main priority." I told her.
"Tell me. Are you going to tell Naruto about this?" she asks.
"No, I can't." I told her. "It will only cause him to become even more impatient. We don't need him to be even more so. I'll keep it to myself for the time being. I'll tell Kakashi once we arrive at the village."
"I understand." She tells me. "Let's just hope Shukaku gives them a fight. And knowing him, I think he will."
"I hope you're right, Kiyiya." I told her. "I'll have to make sure not to give them the idea that something is up too." I thought to myself.
Back in reality, Kazumi's Point of View:
"Hmm? Kazumi... You've been pretty quiet for the remainder of the trip. Is everything all right?" Sakura asked but I didn't hear her. "Hey, Kazumi? Did you hear me?" she asks as she placed a hand on my shoulder, which snaps me back to reality.
"Huh? What?" I replied as I looked back at her. "Sakura? What is it?"
"Huh? You were spaced out?" She asks as she gives me a somewhat concerned look. "That's not like you. Are you all right?"
"Oh, sorry about that. I figured I would use the time to meditate." I told her as I awkwardly scratched the back of my head. "I had to do something to stay calm and to help pass the time as well."
"Yeah, I suppose you have a point." She says. "Sorry for bothering you."
"There's no need to apologize." I assured her. "I was just about to snap out of it anyway. So no harm done."
"That was pretty close, pup. She nearly caught you." Kiyiya thought.
"I know. At least I was able to talk to Gaara before she did try to get my attention." I thought back. "But if she, or any of the others for the matter, would have done so while I was talking to him, I would have been caught."
"All right, if you're sure." Sakura says.
"Yeah, I'm positive. So don't worry, everything's okay." I told her. She just nods her head in understanding.
While I sat there looking at Sakura, I was unaware that Kakashi was paying close attention and took notice of my somewhat uneasy demeanor. A few minutes later, the sandstorm ended and we resume our journey to the Hidden Sand. We made it to the entrance where two Sand Nin waited. We wasted no time following them into the village. As we did, we learned that the Akatsuki had also attacked Kankuro.
"What! You say they got Kankuro as well?" Temari asked.
"Yes. When the enemy took Lord Kazekage, Kankuro went after them by himself." The Sand Nin explained. "He was poisoned. And we haven't been able to find anything to counteract it. He won't last must longer."
"Damn it!" Temari snapped.
"Don't give up yet, Temari." Sakura told her. "Let me take a look at him."
"Kankuro!" Temari yells as we entered the room they were holding Kankuro. Just before Naruto, Kakashi and I could enter farther into the large room, an old woman suddenly attacks, aiming right for Kakashi.
"Damn you!" she yelled as she ran towards us. "Get ready to defend yourself or die!" But before she could do anything, Naruto jumped ahead and stopped her.
"What do you think you're doing attacking Kakashi sensei like that?" Naruto growled. "You wrinkly old prune."
"I haven't forgotten what you did." She said. "I've waited for this day, White Fang of the Leaf. The day I reap vengeance on you for what you did to my son."
"Huh? Just who the hell is this old woman?" I thought to myself. "Um… Nii-sama? Do you know this old woman or something?" I asked him as I pointed at the elderly woman.
"No, I don't." he whispered to me and soon directed his attention forward. "Hey look. You have it all wrong. You see, I'm not…" Kakashi tried to tell her.
"That's enough talk!" she interrupted. But before she could run forward again, an older gentleman stepped before her and held his hand out.
"Take a closer look at the man, sis." The man said. It's true that there's a resemblance, but this one is not the White Fang."
"Hello." Kakashi told her as he held up one hand.
"Really…? You did not just say hello to her?" I asked Kakashi quietly as I gave him a disapproving look. "She tried to kill you for crying out loud!"
"Besides, as you know, the White Fang of the Leaf died long ago." He continued. "Remember? When you heard the news, you wept frustration because that meant you would never have your vengeance. Isn't that so, sis?"
"Revenge?" I ask. "She made all this noise because she wanted revenge against my father? Yeah, I definitely don't trust this woman. Not one bit." I thought.
"Oh well, never mind." She said and suddenly started laughing hysterically.
"What the heck!? This old woman attacks my brother because he looks like dad. And now she's just standing there laughing." I thought while I sweat-dropped. "What the hell are you laughing at? That's not funny!" I yelled in an annoyed tone. The laughing quickly stopped when Kankuro's screams started.
"Here! Let me take a look at him." Sakura says as she runs over, pulling her hair into a ponytail. "Listen, it might help if you all cleared out of here and give us some room."
"You got it, Sakura." Naruto said as we left. We all just sat quietly in the hallway while Sakura worked on Kankuro. Well, I was standing beside Kakashi, leaning against the wall.
"Hey, Kakashi sensei." Naruto said quietly.
"Hmm?" he answered.
"Who the heck is this White Fang of the Leaf guy that made this old lady so angry?" he asked as he pointed at the old woman. "Got any idea?"
"Huh?" I heard the old woman say. It was obvious to see that she was curious about Naruto's question as well.
"Uh, hmm, let me see. How to put it." He said as he closed his book, looking up at the ceiling. "He was, well in a word, he was my father."
"Heh?" Naruto replied.
"You there… You're the son of the White Fang?" the old woman asked, surprised apparently. She soon turned her attention onto me, causing me to raise an eyebrow. "And you, the girl. Who are you…?"
"Hmpf, that's very rude. I have a name." I growled to myself. "I'm his sister." I told her with an annoyed look as I pointed towards Kakashi.
"Hmm, I see. So that would make you the White Fang's daughter." she says. "I never knew anything about the White Fang having any children."
"So that's it. That explains why you two look like him." The old man added.
We waited for who knows how long. To be honest, it felt like an eternity and it could have just been a couple of hours. But luckily, Sakura was able to remove most of the poison but they still had to make an antidote to counteract the remaining substance in Kankuro's body. Meanwhile, Kakashi, Naruto and I were standing in the hallway when we heard there was a message from the Hidden Leaf.
"It's from your Hokage." Baki said as he handed Kakashi the scroll.
"From grandma Tsunade?" Naruto asked. "What she say?"
"She says that Team Gai is on its way here to back us up." He replied.
"Huh? Bushier Brow Sensei's squad?" Naruto asked. "I can't wait to see how much they all changed. I hear even Neji has been made a Jounin. Well alright, there's no sense in waiting for them to get here. Let's go after the Akatsuki right now!" he yelled, taking off.
"Okay. Which way are you going?" Kakashi asked him, causing him to stop. "Do you even know where they are or which way they went?"
"Uh! No." he said as he turned back around.
"If you don't mind my asking, what have been the results so far of your attempts to pursue the Akatsuki?" Kakashi asked Baki.
"First Kankuro went after them by himself, and you see what happened to him." Baki said. "Then we dispatched a tracking unit to pursue them. But we have yet to hear back from them. And there's another problem. We believe that, well it appears that Captain Yuura, one of our council of advisors, has gone missing. We don't know if he's alive."
"So you're saying that you've completely lost track of the Akatsuki?" Kakashi asked.
"Yes. We have." Baki answered.
"Lord Baki." Said one of the medical Nin. "Kankuro has regained consciousness."
"Kankuro? Are you all right?" Temari asked.
"Temari. You're back already." Kankuro said weakly.
"I heard the village was in trouble." She told him.
"I'm sorry. To be such a bother." He told her.
"Shut up. Don't be ridiculous." Temari replied.
"Can you lead me to where Kankuro's fight with the Akatsuki took place?" Kakashi said to Baki.
"Hmm?" Baki replied.
"I'm known for having a pretty good nose for tracking. If even the slightest trace of their scent remains on the scene…" Kakashi started.
"There's no need for that." Kankuro interrupted as he forced himself to sit up. "Where are my puppets? I assume that my puppets were recovered, right?" After waiting for a few minutes, Kankuro's puppets were brought in.
"He fought with me, while the other carried Gaara away." Kankuro explained. "You might not be able to follow Gaara's scent, but you can definitely follow the one I fought. I was able to retrieve a piece of his clothing. It was the last thing I did."
"Even in defeat, you went down fighting." Kakashi said as he picked up the piece of cloth. "Just what I expect from a Sand Shinobi." He tells him and soon looks at me. "Kazumi."
"Right." I replied. We both began to perform a series of hand signs.
"Ninja Art: Summoning Jutsu!" we both exclaimed together.
We placed our hands on the ground, causing smoke to appear around us. Once the smoke diminishes; a pack of Ninja hounds and a pack of ninja wolves were revealed. The large group made up of hounds was none other than Kakashi's Ninja Hound Squad. The group consisted of: Pakkun, Bull, Urushi, Shiba, Bisuke, Akino, Uhei and Guruko.
The small group that was made of wolves was my team. My group consisted of: Nanako (first summoning and main partner), Ayame (Nanako's younger sister), Takeshi (Nanako's older brother) and Haru (Nanako's younger brother). Nanako had dark grey fur with a white patch of fur along her stomach. Ayame had light grey fur. As for Takeshi and Haru, they both had black fur. However, Haru had a grey patch covering his eyes and nose. They all wore ninja headbands around their necks, indicating they were a part of the Hidden Leaf Village.
"At your service. Eight Ninja Hounds." Pakkun said.
"At your command, Four Ninja Wolves." Nanako stated.
"Nanako… You and the others… Please don't ever do that again." I say with a small twitch, my eyes narrowed slightly. "It's sort of… well… its embarrassing."
"Hey. Pakkun!" Naruto said.
"Huh? Is that you Naruto?" Pakkun asked. "Long time no see."
"Whoa, look at you. You haven't changed a bit." Naruto told him.
"You haven't either." Pakkun replied.
"Huh? What are you talking about? I'm a lot taller for one thing." Naruto said. His attention soon landed on the wolves. "Uh? They're new. I don't think I've seen them before. Not only that but they're wolves not dogs."
"These are my partners, Naruto. Meet Nanako, Ayame, Takeshi and Haru." I say to Naruto as I gestured to them while I said their names. "Guys, this is Naruto."
"Nice to meet you, Naruto." They all said together.
"All right, all right. Let's skip the reunion and the introductions for now." Kakashi said. "I need you guys to get on this right away."
"Nanako… Haru… Ayame… Takeshi… Take in the scent Kakashi sensei is holding and track down the individual it belongs to." I told them.
"Right." they said in unison.
"Find out which way he went, okay." Kakashi said. "Go on."
"We'll let you know if we find something." Pakkun said.
"Leave it to us." Nanako added and the two quickly took off.
"Okay! We move out as soon as Pakkun and the others return." Naruto said. "So I say we start getting ready."
"Not so fast, Naruto." Kakashi told him. Meanwhile, Sakura was able to create the antidote and immediately gave it to Kankuro. Hopefully it will take effect soon.
"All of you are going to need rest as well, especially after your long journey." Baki said. "We prepared rooms for you."
"But… But we have to go after Gaara." Naruto said.
"Thanks. We'll take you up on your offer." Kakashi told him and soon looked towards Naruto. "We may have to travel far and fast tomorrow."
"Okay, you win." Naruto said, giving up the argument.
"Naruto. Save my little brother." Kankuro told him.
"Don't worry, I will." Naruto assured him. "After all, I'm going to be Hokage someday. And for now, the Kazekage can just owe me one."
"Please. Follow me." Baki tells us.
After Baki showed us to our rooms, we all set our things down. While Sakura was getting ready for bed, I quietly left the room, heading over to Naruto and Kakashi's room. I calmly knocked on the door and waited. When the door opened, I was relieved to see Kakashi instead of Naruto. Before I could get one word out, I saw a serious look appear in Kakashi's eye.
"Naruto, I'll be back in a minute." He said over his shoulder. He kept the door cracked, making sure Naruto didn't see me.
"Uh, okay." I heard Naruto answer. I stepped off to the side to let Kakashi walk out. Once he closed the door, he directed his attention onto me.
"What is it? Everything all right?" he asks.
"Well…" I started. "How about we move away from the door before I tell you anything." I told him as I pointed down the hall. He just nods and we proceed down the hall a little. "I have something to tell you." I said as soon as we come to a stop, standing in front of one of the windows.
"Does this have anything to do with what happened back in the cave?" he asked.
"I guess I'm not surprised that you caught on to that." I told him. "Besides, I had a feeling that you might have anyway."
"So…? What's going on?" he asks.
"Well, you see…" I started. "How can I explain it?" I asked myself, pausing for a moment. "You see, I was attempting to contact Gaara." I admitted.
"Huh? What do you mean?" he asks.
"It's like Telepathy but I can only do so with people like me." I explain. "I mean, those who have a connection to a Tailed Beast."
"Tailed Beast Telepathy?" he asked.
"Yeah, that's right." I say with a slight nod.
"Can you communicate with the others?" he asks.
"Well, I'm not completely certain about that. But as far as I can tell, no." I answered. "So far I can only communicate with Naruto and Gaara. I guess I'm able to do so because I know them. However, my connection with Gaara is not nearly as strong as my connection with Naruto."
"I see." He says as he gives me a thoughtful look. "You said that you were attempting to contact Gaara. You were able to do so?"
"Yeah, I was. I was talking to him back at the cave." I answered. "He told me about the individual who was responsible for the attack on the Hidden Sand. He said that the enemy was wearing the black cloak with red clouds, the clothing of the Akatsuki. He has long blonde-colored hair, with a long piece covering his left eye, which hides a small camera."
"Gaara was able to give you a description of the enemy?" he asked, slightly surprised. I nodded once more to answer.
"Yes, but that's not all." I continued. "He also said that the guy is a long range fighter. He uses this explosive clay to fight. We need to be aware of this if we encounter him. His explosive clay is nothing to wave off."
"Hmm, I see. Well, given this information on this guy, as well as the information on the one named Sasori, we may have a chance of stopping them both." He stated. "Was Gaara able to tell you where they were hiding?"
I shook my head, "No, he wasn't able to. He's unconscious, so he doesn't know where he is or how he got there." I answered. "Sorry, but that's all I know."
"Well, at least we have more to go on when we find them. Nonetheless, it sounds like these opponents are going to be tough to deal with. Whether we fight them alone or together." Kakashi says. "Why haven't you said anything about this earlier?"
"I know I should have, but I didn't want Naruto to worry. And we didn't need him becoming even more impatient than what he already was." I answered. "I was planning to talk to you about this as soon as we arrived here. But we got preoccupied with other things."
"I see your point, but that's in the past now. We have more information than what we started with, so that's good." Kakashi says. "Have you tried to make contact since then?"
"Yes, but unfortunately I wasn't able to get him." I told him. "Plus I've been having this awful feeling in the pit of my stomach ever since we arrived here. Something terrible is happening as we speak and I don't like it at all."
Before I could continue, I felt Kakashi place his hand gently on my shoulder, "For now, don't worry about it and get some rest. Who knows how long or how far we'll have to travel tomorrow."
I just sighed and nodded my head slightly, "Right."
After talking to Kakashi, I returned back to my room I shared with Sakura and sat on my bed, in Indian-Style as I began to meditate. I know it's been a long day, but I needed to talk to Kiyiya. I still couldn't help but feel very anxious about what was happening to Gaara. I knew the Akatsuki had him but I couldn't image just how they were going to take the Tailed Beast from his body. After entering my subconscious, I was sitting before the large gates and found Kiyiya lying down on the other side.
"Still worried about Gaara?" she asked.
"Do you really have to ask?" I asked as I pinched the bridge of my nose. "I can't explain this very bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. Could they be…?"
"You should get some rest, pup. Like your brother said, who knows what tomorrow has in store for you and the others." Kiyiya said. "You'll need to be well rested to be fully aware on your mission."
"Yeah, you're right." I agreed. "I guess I'll have plenty of time to think about this tomorrow. So until then, I'll just let my mind rest."
"Right. Goodnight, pup." She told me.
"Goodnight to you as well, Kiyiya." I told her.
Once the conversation was over, I snapped myself back to reality. When I opened my eyes, I found myself back inside the guest room. I glanced to my right to see Sakura fast asleep. Well, I didn't blame her. She worked hard and did a very great job saving Kankuro. She was definitely on her way to becoming a great medical-nin, which meant I had better step it up. I soon turned over and drifted off to sleep. I just hoped that we get to Gaara in time to rescue him.
Kazumi's Point of View:
The next morning, I woke up earlier than Sakura and quickly got ready. Pakkun, Nanako and the others had returned and had already filled me and Kakashi in on the situation. They were able to find the Akatsuki hideout, so that meant we were going to head out soon. Once I finished getting ready, I walked over to Sakura's bed and gently woke her up. Before long, she was up and getting ready as well. We soon headed out and met Naruto and Kakashi outside.
"Seems that we'll be working in conjunction with a squad from the sand village." Kakashi informed us. "As soon as they arrive, we'll head out."
"Sorry to keep you waiting." Temari said as she approached us.
"If that's everybody…" Kakashi started.
"Then we should head out." I finished.
"Okay! There's no time to waste. So let's get this show on the road." Naruto said.
"Lady Temari, wait!" Baki said as he landed beside us. "Temari. You are your group are to remain here and patrol the perimeter."
"Are you kidding me or what?" Temari asked.
"Orders. From above." He said simply. "If word gets out that the Kazekage is missing, our enemies may use that as an opportunity to attack the village."
"Don't you get it? That's why we must get him back as quickly as we can." Temari stated. "Look at these Leaf ninja. They came all this way from their village to rescue Gaara. And Gaara's not even their leader. It's the Sand Shinobi that should be rescuing him!"
"I'm sorry." Baki strained out.
"Well I'm going!" I voice yelled. We all looked up to see the same old woman from before, standing on top of the building. "If a Sand Shinobi is needed, then I'm the one to go."
"Granny Chiyo?" Temari said.
"But...But you're so…" Baki started.
"I'm retired, yes. Which means of course I'm free to do whatever I want." She said. Suddenly she jumps and lands safely on the ground before us. "Besides, it's been awhile since I've seen my adorable grandchild." With that taken care of, we all headed out to the main entrance of the village. Afterwards, we proceeded forward, heading straight to the Akatsuki's hideout.
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